Flood fundraising applications brings in $56

Pakistani computer experts have developed a mobile phone game to help victims of last year’s devastating floods. However, only $56 has been raised despite over 90,000 downloads. The Relief Copter mobile phone application, or app, contains a game and shows different Pakistani landscapes, pictures and important facts and figures about the floods, accompanied by original local music. Developer weRplay chief executive officer Mohsin Afzal told AFP that app was designed to reach the maximum number of people. Revenue generated will be donated to victims of inundations. It is free to download on Nokia and most Apple platforms, Afzal said. “Since so many people spend 99 cents or $1.99 on small apps everyday, so we thought of giving them an option to use that money for something good, in addition to getting some value in return,” said Afzal. “One hundred percent of the revenue generated was to be donated to flood relief efforts,” he told AFP. “I still feel mobile and apps as a fund raising medium are being largely ignored by most development sector agencies,” he added. Information technology expert Shahzad Ahmad said selling applications for aid was a good concept, but questioned how useful it could be in a developing country like Pakistan. “Unfortunately, in Pakistan, not everyone has credit cards that can be used for online purchasing so it may not be a very good situation,” Ahmad told AFP.